The defense played an embarrassingly horrible game in the first half which led to a 20-7 deficit. Then, the Bucs shelved Mike Evans (after Vincent Jackson had already left the game in the first quarter) and refused to throw the football. Surprisingly the Saints made some nice tackles and were able to contain the run game and it resulted in stops. And of course the defense came up with the game winning safety in the final two minutes. Give the defense credit for a second half shut out that carried the team to the win. Below are the final grades of the season:
Cameron Jordan: A (2.48) A bigger impact pass rushing, he finished with 1.5 sacks including a big one on the final drive. He was also outstanding against the run and finished with 6 tackles. One of his best performances of the season. Too bad we didn’t see this more often this year but he’s still a keeper.
Junior Galette: B+ (2.38) I realize he’s playing only as a situational pass rusher due to injury but the Saints may be on to something there. He finished with 3 tackles and a sack. The sack was for a safety which would seal the game, but arguably more impressive was a 3rd and 17 draw play to Charles Sims where he read run, cut inside as the hole was developing and made an oustanding tackle. If he can start making plays like that against the run he can become a complete player. Terrific play recognition there.
Lawrence Virgil: B- (2.67) I thought he looked decent in his first game with the Saints. He finished with 2 tackles and blew up Doug Martin in the backfield on a play near the Bucs’ goal line that nearly resulted in a safety.
Tyrunn Walker: B (2.33) He had good pressure and hustle in pursuit. He finished with 3 tackles and a half sack shared with Jordan, but I felt he might have been more deserving of getting the sack on that play.
Brandon Deaderick: C (1.86) Quietly did his thing in the trenches, no major mistakes or impact.
David Hawthorne: B- (2.58) He had an up and down game combining some missed tackles with some big hits. He finished with 7 tackles. A lot of his stops were around the line of scrimmage, though, and he got better as the game wore on.
Ramon Humber: A- (2.41) He finished with 9 tackles and drilled Josh McCown once on a blitz. He’s played more in a true 3-4 front since Galette got limited with an injury. 4 (!!) of those tackles came on special teams, which he deserves an A for. He also had a nice contribution against the run, though his coverage wasn’t as good. His high grade is mostly due to his tremendous contribution on special teams.
Curtis Lofton: B+ (2.67) Finished with a team leading 10 tackles and also got better as the game wore on. The tackling machine finished with 145 tackles on the year which is a career high with the Saints and just two shy of his highest total with the Falcons (147). He may not be a guy that creates turnovers but imagine how much worse this defense could have been without him – yikes.
Parys Haralson: B- (2.36) He finished with 2 tackles and 2 hits on McCown. One hit he did a nice job of not biting on a play action fake. He was solid against the run but missed at least one tackle.
Keenan Lewis: B (2.54) He struggled in the first half at times in coverage of Mike Evans when he was on him with mixed results. He finished with 2 tackles and had a mediocre game but gets a grade boost thanks to a key tip drill interception late that put the offense in a position to win the game. Nice to see him come up with the big play in a season where he’s been through a lot and kept fighting.
Terrence Frederick: D+ (2.11) Whenever McCown had success, it was going after Frederick. He was victimized on the lone touchdown pass and struggled in almost all areas. He’s not the answer opposite Lewis next season, of that I am confident. He’s shown enough to deserve a chance to compete in camp but beyond that we’ll see. He finished with 6 tackles mostly downfield.
Corey White: C (2.02) He finished with 1 tackle on a 3rd down pass that converted pass the sticks. Used only in some sub packages, he didn’t show much.
Patrick Robinson: C (2.36) He finished with 1 tackle as well. The Saints didn’t play much in nickel and dime with the Bucs committed to tanking, I mean running. We saw more 3-4 base than anything. A quiet day.
Jamarca Sanford: A- (3.00) If the Saints had gotten strong safety play like this more often this season, they would have won more games. He finished with 10 tackles, including 2 for a loss. He played around the box, was physical, and also did a good job in coverage. He’s definitely deserving of a camp invite and possible roster spot next season.
Pierre Warren: D (2.17) His run angles and tackling attempts leave a lot to be desired. I know fans have enjoyed his ball skills and ability to make plays with the ball in the air, but the Saints desperately need Rafael Bush and Jairus Byrd back next season. He finished with 3 tackles.
Shayne Graham: B- (2.69) He made 3 extra points down the middle. That’s it. Easy day at the office. Good season overall.
Thomas Morstead: C+ (3.00) He didn’t do a good enough job of limited Bobby Rainey’s opportunities in the return game on kickoffs or punts. Six looks at returns for a guy that explosive is too much. He booted some punts nicely for a 52 yard average (gross), but only 40.7 net as he set up returns. Still pretty solid and he finishes the season with the high GPA on the team among qualifying players.
Marcus Ball: C+ (2.09) Had a special team tackle preventing Rainey from possibly taking one to the house.
Kasim Edebali: B (2.13) Finished with 3 tackles and two on special teams.
Jalen Saunders: C (2.72) Just one return for 3 yards.
My Defensive Player of the Game: Cameron Jordan
My Special Teams Player of the Game: Ramon Humber
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